Light as Air Focaccia

For New Years, I had to make some black eyed peas to make sure we had some good luck in the new year. To go with it, I wanted a light, crusty bread and only had a few hours. So, I made this recipe form King Arthur flour with their Italian-style Flour. It was good, I added some garlic for a bit of flavor, and some wheat germ and flax seed to healthy it up a bit. The texture was light, with a nice crunch to the crust. I would make it again, and it was very quick to put together.


Light as Air Focaccia

Dough
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Italian-Style Flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 cups water
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp ground flax seed
2 tsp wheat germ

Topping
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
coarse salt

Mix together all of the dough ingredients and knead briefly; 5 to 6 minutes, by hand or machine, is all this dough needs.

Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes. Remove it from the bowl, and fold it over a few times, to redistribute the yeast.

Place the dough onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined half-sheet pan (or similar-size pan, about 18 x 13 inches), and pat it out into a rectangle about 10 x 15 inches in size. The dough is very tender and easy to work with. Brush it with olive oil, and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Cover the focaccia, and set it in a warm place to rise for about 30 minutes.

Just before baking the focaccia, use your fingers to gently dimple the dough every 2 inches or so. Bake it in a preheated 425°F oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until it’s golden brown. Remove it from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool slightly before cutting it into squares.

Yield: about a dozen 4-inch squares.

Angel Biscuits

This recipe is another on my trek through The Bread Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum. The biscuits were excellent, very light and flaky without the dryness that can sometimes accompany that. They take a few hours to make to let the yeast do its thing, but they are good if you can plan ahead.

Tuesdays with Dorie - Kugelhopf

I started a bit late on this recipe, so the post is a little late, but hey, it's still Tuesday :)

I liked this recipe (except for the raisins). I substituted some chocolate carmel chips I had, and I like it. The dough is very close to a brioche, just missing a bit of butter (though there is no shortage in this recipe). Next time, I think some cinnamon and some nuts would be a good addition.

I made them into individual servings in a heart shaped muffin tin. I thought filling up the tins about half-way before the rise would be about right, but I was wrong. These definitely overflowed, though they still taste good. I would say to fill the tins no more than 1/3 the next time. You would get about 18 that way (I had 12 monsters). I also shortened the baking time, 10 minutes at first, then 8 minutes with the foil.

Sticky Buns

I was craving some sticky buns last weekend, so I decided to plan a little bit ahead and made the Sticky Buns from Dorie's book, Baking: From my home to yours. This was a Tuesday's with Dorie recipe a while ago that I missed, and it got good reviews so I decided to try it.

There is a lot of butter in this dough, since it is a brioche dough I expected it to be rich, but... Anywhos, I made them in a silicone muffin pan to see how they would turn out. I think the larger size muffin pan would have been the perfect size, as these rose out of the tins a bit. The recipe was good and I would make it again, after I eat the frozen one's I've got saved away :)

Daring Bakers - Pizza

Wow, usually I expect a few days of baking for a challenge, but this recipe was a welcome relief. 20 minutes to make the dough, stick it in the fridge, and a little pre-planning and you are ready to eat! I make pizza dough quite a bit, so this process is something I'm used to.

Having said that, I was not impressed with this dough. I like the Alton Brown recipe a lot, and it calls for lots of working the dough to get the baker's window (it usually takes about 15 minutes or so). This recipe only calls for 5-7 minutes of kneading. I was a bit leery, but I followed the recipe to the letter. To me, this dough doesn't have the structure that my recipe has. The stretching only took 2 tosses, as the dough was so relaxed it basically tossed itself.

I made 3 so far, the first was a BLT pizza. I added some ranch dressing as the sauce, then bacon, tomatoes, and mozzarella and baked for 7 minutes on a pizza stone. When it came out, I added some basil and lettuce to the top and served (the picture is before the lettuce). It was good, but the crust was bland. I think some more salt or some olive oil would have been a good addition.
The second pizza was for dessert, it was an apple pizza. I mixed some very thin apple slices, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, allspice, lime juice, and some ginger together and fanned it out on the pizza. I sprinkled the dough with some sugar, and baked it a little slower, at 400º for 15 minutes. This was very good, but the dough was still a bit bland.
Then, I branched out and made some cheesy breadsticks with some of the dough. I sprinkled parmigiana cheese and rosemary on the dough, and grilled it with some ribs on the bbq. They took about 10 minutes to cook. They were ok, still bland.
So, my opinion is that Alton Brown's recipe is much better. Check out my other post for my incarnation. Here is the recipe we used:

~ BASIC PIZZA DOUGH ~

Original recipe taken from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart.

Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter).

Ingredients:

4 1/2 Cups (20 1/4 ounces/607.5 g) Unbleached high-gluten (%14) bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled

1 3/4 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Instant yeast

1/4 Cup (2 ounces/60g) Olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)

1 3/4 Cups (14 ounces/420g or 420ml) Water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)

1 Tb sugar

Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

DAY ONE

Method:

1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

NOTE: If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time.The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water.

The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.

3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.

5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.

NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days.

NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil(a few tablespoons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

DAY TWO

8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C).

NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.

10. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

NOTE: Make only one pizza at a time.

During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping.

In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully,then try again.

You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method.

11. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.

12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

NOTE: Remember that the best pizzas are topped not too generously. No more than 3 or 4 toppings (including sauce and cheese) are sufficient.

13. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.

NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.

If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly.

14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

Prosciutto Ring

My bread from The Bread Bible this week was the Prosciutto Ring. I had been eyeing this recipe since I got the book, but I never had any leftover prosciutto, until now :)

There is no pre-ferment to this bread, it is a simple one rise and bake, so it only took a few hours start to finish. The taste was good, but I thought some added flavor from a sponge would have been good to balance the saltiness of the prosciutto. I would make it again with some additions, because it was so easy to make.

Basic Hearth Bread

This week's bread from The Bread Bible is the Basic Hearth Bread. It involves a short fermentation on the sponge, then a quick 3 hour rise with a little folding and shaping in between.

I like this bread, it has a nice crust, and a chewy but light interior. I think another 2 minutes in the oven would have been better for the crust, but it was a perfect golden brown so I took it out. It is a mild flavored bread, good for just about anything. My husband said it was European in texture...

Oh yeah, I got to hear the crackling again when it came out of the oven :) I think I'm getting better at this bread thing.

Rosemary Foccacia

My next bread from The Bread Bible was the Rosemary Foccacia. I have made foccacia a few times with other recipes, and this one is definitely the wettest. The dough starts out as soup, but after 20 minutes with the mixer, it is a lot more together with longs strands of gluten. It just plops out of the bowl after 4 hours of proofing, and you think 'this is never going to be bread, maybe pudding'. But after another hour of proofing and a short 20 minute bake, out comes a very light and airy bread.

I made this a bit taller as I wanted to use it for buns for some burgers. Very tasty and would make again.

Basic White Bread

Ah yes, another bread from The Bread Bible. This is my favorite so far, it turned out perfect! I am so impressed with myself, the full loaf could be a wonderbread loaf! I think the difference is that I underproofed it a bit, and then let the oven spring take it the rest of the way. This gave it a good rise, light texture, and a great shape.

I only have one regular size loaf pan, and the recipe makes 2, so I divided the rest of the dough into 4 small loaf pans, very cute and my favorite.

This recipe would also work well for dinner rolls, breadsticks, etc. Very versatile wet dough.

Baguettes

On my way through The Bread Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum, the Baguettes caught my eye. Nothing is terribly difficult about the recipe, but it does take a while before you are eating fresh, warm bread.

The recipe called for both a Pate Fermentee (a stiff dough that is fermented overnight in the fridge) and a Poolish (a more battery dough that is fermented overnight at room temperature). These both increase the flavor of the bread and allow you to use much less yeast than normal for this amount of dough.

One change I was forced to make in the recipe was to use about half whole wheat flour and half AP flour, as early on Sunday morning when I needed to mix the dough I realized I did not have enough AP flour and a trip to the store was not going to happen. I think this made the bread a bit less tender than the AP flour would have, but the bread had a nice flavor to it.

The baguettes came out well, I would have preferred a lighter texture, but again I attribute that to the whole wheat flour sub. I'll make them again with the correct flour mixture to test :)

And one other thing I accomplished with this bread was to hear it crack after I took it out of the oven. I have read on countless other blogs about this miraculous noise, but I have never heard it before. Then, all of the sudden, I started hearing this cracking noise when I took the bread out of the oven to cool! I guess I did something right with this recipe.

Daring Bakers - Danish Braid

The challenge this month was a danish braid, which involves an rich dough layered with butter to give it the nice rise and buttery flakiness that we all so enjoy. I've made danishes quite a few times, and have always had good results. They tend to be one of my most requested baked goods...

On to the recipe, it is a little different then the one I normally use, specifically it calls for orange zest and juice in the dough. I think this added a nice dimension to the finished product, so I will probably continue to add that in the future. Every time I make these I wish I had a dough sheeter :)

They came out really well. I decided to make nine smaller braids that are more easy to eat with your hands and have them not fall apart. I made the apple filling and used that for some. The rest I filled with a mixed berry compote that I made with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries (all the berries are in season here now finally, so I couldn't resist using them all). I liked the berry mixture better, but I'm not a cooked apple fan so I could have been biased.

My friend came over and gave me a photography lesson, so hopefully my pictures from here out will be much higher quality. Thanks Dave! The picture is so much better I put it before the recipe :)


DANISH DOUGH

Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients
For the dough (Detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH
Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

BUTTER BLOCK
1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.
2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

APPLE FILLING
Makes enough for two braids

Ingredients
4 Fuji or other apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Toss all ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until slightly nutty in color, about 6 - 8 minutes. Then add the apple mixture and sauté until apples are softened and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. If you’ve chosen Fujis, the apples will be caramelized, but have still retained their shape. Pour the cooked apples onto a baking sheet to cool completely before forming the braid. (If making ahead, cool to room temperature, seal, and refrigerate.) They will cool faster when spread in a thin layer over the surface of the sheet. After they have cooled, the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Left over filling can be used as an ice cream topping, for muffins, cheesecake, or other pastries.

DANISH BRAID
Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients
1 recipe Danish Dough (see below)
2 cups apple filling, jam, or preserves (see below)

For the egg wash: 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Egg Wash
Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.

Proofing and Baking
1. Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.
2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.
3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.

Ten Grain Torpedo Bread

For my bread from The Bread Bible this week, I made the Ten Grain Torpedo (I was feeling like something healthy since I made the Tuesday's with Dorie dessert today too). The bread is nice and moist, probably from soaking the grains before adding them to the bread. The crust is nice and crunchy, so the contrast is nice. The vital wheat gluten also helps keep the bread light.

I like this bread, it's good with some butter. It's not as memorable as the Ciabatta, but a good healthy bread.

Ciabatta Bread

As I was looking through The Bread Bible for my next challenge, the picture of this bread caught my eye. I have never worked with a wet dough before, which is the key to getting the large holes in the bread. The recipe was simple, a biga of water, yeast and flour, and that plus some salt for the rest of the dough. Usually I like to add some flax seed, wheat germ, etc to "healthy" it up a bit, but to get the characteristic holes that was not an option.

It turned out well for my first shot, I am getting much better with breads now, yea! The holes weren't as big as I would have liked, but they were good and the crust was nice and crisp.

Brinna's Pugliese

I've starting working my way through The Bread Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum, and this recipe looked interesting today. I've tried about 5 of her recipes now, and they all have turned out well. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants an in depth look at how the elements of bread come together and why. Rose lays the science out very well in the beginning so you get a good understanding, and the recipes drive the principles home.

I don't get quite as much oven spring as I would like, but I have a convection oven and even when it is set to bake normally, the fan still runs a bit. I think this pulls any steam that might get built up out of the oven, so the crust sets before it has time to rise. Never the less, the bread tastes awesome.

This recipe was great, and probably has the most structure of any of the breads I have made. I'd make it again, once I get through the rest of the book :)

Potato Flatbread & Pesto

For our Memorial Day party, I also made some Potato Flatbread. It started from a recipe from The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum, but turned into a great appetizer. It can sit in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, so it's easy to make ahead for a party and then shape and bake the day of. This recipe makes enough for one 10 inch flatbread, but I multiplied it out for 6 flatbreads and it was gone in a few minutes (too fast for me to get a picture!!). This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Potato Flatbreads

3/4 cup AP Flour
1/4 teaspoon yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
3/8 teaspoon salt
3 slight tablespoons mashed potatos (I used Russets)
1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons water, room temperature
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon olive oil

1. Whisk together the flour, yeast, and sugar. Then whisk in the salt. Add the mashed potato and butter and mix until just incorporated. Add the water and egg and stir until blended. Roll onto a lightly floured counter and knead for 15 seconds to form a smooth dough.
2. Pour the oil into a 2 cup container and place the dough in it. Turn it over to coat with the oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Then put the dough in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Remove 1 hour before you are ready to put it in the oven.
3. Preheat the oven to 475ºF, and put a shelf at the lowest level. If you have a baking stone, place it on the rack.
4. With oiled fingers, lightly pull the dough out of the container. Pour the oil onto a pizza pan and rub around a bit. Put the dough on the pan and lightly press to deflate, then fold into a ball by tucking in the bottom with your fingers. Let the dough relax, covered, for 15 minutes.
5. Press the dough out into a 10 inch circle, leaving the edges a bit thicker. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 -45 minutes, until they are slightly puffy.
6. Uncover, and set the pan on the baking stone in the oven for 5 minutes. Then check the bottom to make sure it isn't getting too dark. If it is, move off the stone to another rack. Bake for 5-7 more minutes until the top is golden.

Cilantro Pesto (a great dip for the bread)

1 bunch fresh cilantro
10 fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup good olive oil
kosher salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the torn cilantro and basil leaves in a food processor and pulse until chopped.
2. Slowly drizzle in the oil while the processor is running to form a paste. Add the salt and pepper and pulse to combine.

Grilled Focaccia

Since I was grilling fish tonight for dinner, I decided to try making some bread on the grill. The Grilled Focaccia from The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum looked good and fit the bill. It turned out pretty nice. I think I had the grill a bit too hot as the bottom was really browned, but it tasted good. It's hard to tell exactly how hot a grill is...

Grilled Focaccia

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon AP Flour
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup room temp water
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
kosher salt to taste

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, and sugar. Then whisk in the salt, you don't want the salt to come in contact with the yeast or it will kill it. Make a well in the center and pour in the water. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, lightly stir in the flour until all the flour is moistened and a dough begins to form, about 20 seconds. It will be rough looking, but do not overmix.
2. Pour the oil into a 2 cup measuring cup or small bowl. With oiled fingers, place the dough in the cup, then flip over to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes until puffy. Set the dough in the refridgerator for up to 24 hours, remove 1 hour before ready to put in oven. Or leave at room temperature for anouther 30 minutes to an hour, until doubled.
3. With oiled fingers, lift the dough out of the cup. Holding the dough with one hand, pour a bit of the oil on a baking sheet and spread out. Set the dough on top and press down lightly to deflate. Shape it into a smooth round by tucking under the edges. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, covered, to relax. Press the dough out with your fingertips from the center to stretch to a rectangle abut 9x6 and 1/4 inch high. Brush the dough with any remaining oil and cover. Let rest 20-30 minutes.
4. Preheat a grill to 500º.
5. Using your fingertips, dimple the dough at 1 inch intervals. Sprinkle with kosher salt and rosemary.
6. If using a gas grill, turn one side to low. Place the focaccia, still on the baking sheet, on the hotter side of the grill, covered for 2 minutes. Slide a pancake turner underneath to loosen and slip directly onto the grill on the cooler side of the grill for a few seconds. As soon as the brown lines appear, return the focaccia to the baking sheet and move to the cooler side of the grill for 7-8 minutes until the top starts to brown around the edges.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

I didn't have much time to bake this weekend, so I started some pizza dough and let it rise in the fridge overnight. So tonight's dinner was easy (meaning I didn't have to think about what to make, that's usually half the challenge). The dough is based on Alton Brown's recipe here, I just added the flax seeds so it had a little more flavor and a little more healthy. My husband even asked if we had more, so it had to be good :)

Pizza Dough
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon pure olive oil
3/4 cup warm water
2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
2 teaspoons olive oil
Olive oil, for the pizza crust
Flour, for dusting the pizza peel

Toppings:
1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup red onions, sliced
1/4 cup red peppers, sliced thin
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup bbq sauce

1. Place the sugar, salt, olive oil, water, 1 cup of flour, yeast, and remaining cup of flour into a standing mixer's work bowl. Using the paddle attachment, start the mixer on low and mix until the dough just comes together, forming a ball. Lube the hook attachment with cooking spray. Attach the hook to the mixer and knead for 15 minutes on medium speed.

2. Tear off a small piece of dough and flatten into a disc. Stretch the dough until thin. Hold it up to the light and look to see if the baker's windowpane, or taut membrane, has formed. If the dough tears before it forms, knead the dough for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Roll the pizza dough into a smooth ball on the countertop. Place into a stainless steel or glass bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the bowl and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours.

4. Place the pizza stone or tile onto the bottom of a cold oven and turn the oven to its highest temperature, about 500 degrees F. If the oven has coils on the oven floor, place the tile onto the lowest rack of the oven. Split the pizza dough into 2 equal parts using a knife or a dough scraper. Flatten into a disk onto the countertop and then fold the dough into a ball.

5. Wet hands barely with water and rub them onto the countertop to dampen the surface. Roll the dough on the surface until it tightens. Cover one ball with a tea towel and rest for 30 minutes. Repeat the steps with the other piece of dough. If not baking the remaining pizza immediately, spray the inside of a ziptop bag with cooking spray and place the dough ball into the bag. Refrigerate for up to 6 days.

6. Sprinkle the flour onto the peel and place the dough onto the peel. Using your hands, form a lip around the edges of the pizza. Stretch the dough into a round disc, rotating after each stretch. Toss the dough in the air if you dare. Shake the pizza on the peel to be sure that it will slide onto the pizza stone or tile. (Dress and bake the pizza immediately for a crisp crust or rest the dough for 30 minutes if you want a chewy texture.)

7. Brush the rim of the pizza with olive oil. Spread the bbq sauce evenly onto the pizza. Sprinkle on the chicken, onions, and red peppers and top with the cheese.

8. Slide the pizza onto the tile and bake for 7 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. Rest for 3 minutes before slicing.

Cinnamon Twist Bread

Since my parents were in town this weekend, I decided to make a more fabulous breakfast than normal (which would be cereal with some blueberries for good measure). I saw this Cinnamon Braid recipe here, but I had to make a few changes. Mostly because I didn't want to spend my limited amount of time with my guests making bread, I made the bread through the first rise and shaping on Thursday night, then froze it until Saturday night. Then I put it in the fridge to thaw and rise a bit. About 2 hours before I wanted it finished, I took it out of the fridge to let it rise the rest of the way. It was delish, the gooey filling was nice and hot, and the pecans gave it some good crunch.

DOUGH

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
3 tablespoons warm water
1/2 cup warm milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (can use up to 3 1/4 cups)

FILLING

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup pecans, chopped

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, butter, eggs, sugar, salt and 1 1/2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, at least 1 hour.

2. Punch dough down turn onto floured surface. Roll into 24×8 rectangle.

3. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread over rectangle to within 1/2 inch of long edges. Sprinkle with pecans.

4. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with the long side; pinch seam to seal.

5. Place roll seam side down and using sharp knife, cut completely in half long-ways. Place cut sides up; gently twist two pieces together to form a “rope”. Pull ends together and pinch to form a ring. Transfer to pan (I used a 9 inch cake pan since a cookie sheet will not fit in my freezer, but others have used a cookie sheet). At this point I froze the bread under plastic wrap and aluminum foil.

6. About 12 hours before you want to eat the bread, transfer it to the refrigerator. About 2 hours before meal time, put it somewhere warm to take the chill off and finish rising.

7. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Best eaten while still warm, but may be frozen for up to two months. Reheats well in the microwave, but definitely best fresh

Others have made a simple icing of milk and confectioners sugar, but I thought it was great all on its own.

Honey Oat Bread

I needed a baking project today and I've been on a bread kick, so this recipe peaked my interest. It turned out well, my loaf pan is smaller than the recipe calls for, so I made some mini-loaves as well. I have to tell you these were my favorite. The recipe was great, so I'll just link it here rather than retyping. The site is great, so take a look around while you're there...

Honey Oat Bread by Rose Levy Beranbaum


Also, check out this great event!

'Slider' Honey Wheat Buns

I got a request for hamburgers on Sunday, but that was a bit too plain for my one day to really cook/bake. So I decided to make sliders (smaller versions of hamburgers) and make my own buns. This recipe started with one I saw in Modern Baking, but morphed into my own creation as it went on.

The buns turned out really well. I used a mega-muffin pan to get the right size. The only one I had was silicone, and while they came out good, they didn't have the browning I was looking for on the sides and bottom. It seems like anything I bake in them steams more than browns.

Makes 6 'Slider' Buns

190 grams whole wheat flour
90 grams AP flour
14 grams wheat germ
4 grams yeast
8 grams butter (cold, cut into pieces)
17 grams honey
6 grams salt
196 grams warm water

Mix dry ingredients together. Add the wet ingredients and mix on low until incorporated. Use dough hook and mix for 8-10 minutes to full gluten development. Divide the dough into 6, 2 oz pieces and round out into balls. Place the balls in the muffin pan and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake at 425º for 12 minutes until the top is lightly browned.